Shirone gritted his teeth. There was nothing else he could do.
He could probably cast magic, but if he tried to teleport in this state, his body would be torn apart.
Shirone (thinking): 'Damn it! I have to move somehow.'
If time kept passing like this, Kanya's mother would die.
No, everyone would die. All that would remain was a grotesque giant with no name.
Igrin: "Resign yourselves, foolish humans. No one can interfere with Ra's law."
Igrin looked satisfied as she watched all the humans kneel.
This was authority. Obedience wasn't forced; it was voluntary.
Rian: "Damn it, why is it so heavy?"
Igrin's face stiffened at the voice coming from behind the statue.
Then, the sound of footsteps—thud, thud—echoed. Everyone turned to look, as if a ghost had appeared.
Tess: "Rian!"
Rian, his face twisted in frustration, began to move.
His body seemed to weigh a ton.
Yet, he wasn't crushed because the weight was distributed across his entire body.
Rian: "What the hell did you do to me? My body feels incredibly heavy."
Igrin: "How can you move…?"
This wasn't a spell that could be resisted just by brute strength. The weight was proportional to muscle mass, so the stronger you were, the heavier you became.
If he could move, there was only one possible explanation: he was exerting strength beyond his normal limits.
Of course, that wasn't something a normal human could do.
Igrin (thinking): 'He's exerting strength beyond his physical limits? No, that can't be. That's one of the highest abilities of the giants' magic.'
As Igrin was lost in thought, a dull sound came from where Shirone and his companions were.
Harvest: "Kukuku, what a funny spell. This is why battles are so entertaining."
Harvest suddenly emerged from Canis's shadow.
Shirone realized something from Rian and Harvest's situation.
The weight wasn't absolute; it was relative. If the activation principle were different, the countermeasures would also differ. This was crucial information.
Harvest: "Shall I catch her?"
Harvest charged at Igrin. But the Fairy of Authority's flight abilities were nothing to scoff at.
As Shirone watched the chase, momentarily stunned, he shouted to Rian.
Shirone: "Rian! We're out of time! We have to destroy the statue!"
As Rian raised his great sword in front of the statue, Igrin, mid-flight, looked shocked.
While the shadow chasing her might not be human, the swordsman was a human of flesh and blood.
To swing a great sword while under the effects of an irregular, one's control over their body had to be near 100%.
Rian let out a battle cry and struck the statue. A loud bang echoed.
The mortals were startled, but the statue showed no damage.
Rian gritted his teeth.
He wanted to smash it into pieces, but all he could do in this situation was strike again.
Rian: "Damn it! If it weren't for this weird magic!"
The liquid in the orbs had risen halfway. The subjects had already resigned themselves, closing their eyes.
From their perspective, they probably hated Rian. If he hadn't interfered, everything would have been peaceful by now.
Arin spoke through the mental channel.
Arin (through mental channel): "We need to find a way. Binding hundreds of people with just a verbal command doesn't align with equivalent exchange. There must be a condition we're unaware of."
Shirone thought the same.
No matter how extraordinary an irregular's abilities were, they still operated within the rules of equivalent exchange.
Given the strength of the ability, there had to be a way to break free while bound.
Shirone recalled Marsha's advice.
Irregulars were deeply tied to the caster's personality.
Igrin was the Fairy of Authority. Therefore, it was highly likely that her ability was related to the concept of authority.
Rian: "Yaaah!"
Rian continued to strike the statue without giving up.
With each loud crash, the mortals' faces grew paler.
At some point, Amy's eyes glowed red. Her self-awareness immediately detected the changes in her body.
Amy (through mental channel): "Shirone, the binding force isn't fixed. Just now, the weight decreased by five kilograms. This time, seven kilograms, nine kilograms… Every time Rian swings his sword, the weight decreases."
Shirone's eyes lit up. Through Amy's words, he understood the mechanism of Igrin's irregular.
Shirone: "Rian! Keep striking! The Day of Rebirth isn't a revival ritual! It's just murder!"
Amy (through mental channel): "Shirone! It just decreased by sixty kilograms! Could it be…?"
Shirone: "Yes! It's not exact, but Igrin seems to quantify authority into physical force. The more people doubt her, the weaker the weight becomes."
As if to prove Shirone's point, Igrin's expression twisted.
The cries that the Day of Rebirth was murder caused the doubt counter to skyrocket.
It wasn't just angry shouts. It meant the heretics had figured out the activation condition of her magic.
Irregular: Authority.
Igrin could measure the belief and doubt of all targets within her domain.
When she uttered her command, all living beings around her were divided into believers and doubters.
Currently, there are 318 targets in the central plaza, with a ratio of 293 believers to twenty-five doubters.
If everyone believed in Igrin, the weight per unit area would be 100% of their strength, making movement theoretically impossible.
Conversely, if the belief ratio dropped below half, the "Price of Usurpation" would activate, and Igrin would have to bear 100% of the weight for 24 hours.
Shirone realized why Rian's actions were affecting the magic. The fear of the heavenly symbol being defiled was sowing seeds of doubt in the mortals' hearts.
Indeed, every time Rian struck the giant's statue, the weight decreased slightly.
Shirone: "Everyone, wake up! The Day of Rebirth is a lie! It's a ritual to kill you!"
He continued to pressure the mortals, but the weight no longer decreased.
Trials strengthen faith.
While some were terrified, others were undoubtedly burning with an even stronger resolve.
Mortals: "Shut up! You're the ones deceiving us!"
"Kill them! Kill the heretics!"
The fanatics' anger reached its peak as the statue was defaced.
As more turned into zealots, the doubters began to change their minds.
Shirone refused to give up, even though he knew the odds. It was the only resistance he could offer while immobilized.
Shirone: "The Day of Rebirth is a revival ritual? You're next! Why can't you see that?"
Mortals: "We will follow the law. We will live out the lifespans granted by Ra and return to our original bodies!"
Shirone gritted his teeth. Whether it was an irregular or not, the mortals' closed-mindedness was infuriating.
Shirone: "You can live longer! The subjects of the Day of Rebirth don't have to die today!"
The mortals' cries suddenly ceased. They all stared at Shirone in shock.
Taking the sudden silence as a signal, Harvest stopped chasing Igrin.
There was no point in continuing like this.
It was better to shake the mortals through psychological warfare than to flail around aimlessly.
Igrin frowned. The ratio showed how effective this statement had been.
267 believers to fifty-one doubters.
Seventeen percent of the total targets had begun to doubt. The weight decreased enough to be felt. The rapid change in sensation would also work against maintaining authority.
Mortals: "We can live longer? We… can live?"
Shirone: "Yes. If the subjects were truly dying today, at the very least, you could call it a funeral. But they're not dying. The Day of Rebirth can't be your grave!"
Amy (through mental channel): "Shirone, what are you talking about?"
Amy couldn't believe it. The lifespan records were absolute, so wasn't that why the mortals obeyed? If this were just a desperate ploy, it would be hard to manage the aftermath.
Shirone wasn't entirely confident either. But after a night of deliberation, he concluded that it wasn't entirely impossible.
Shirone: "I met heretics in purgatory. Some of them weren't born in heaven. So, they don't know their lifespans. But they're also not controlled by anyone."
Mortals: "That's because they're heretics…"
Shirone: "Wake up! Don't you get it? It's not that they don't do it; they can't because they don't know their names! If God is omnipotent, why does He need a name?"
Igrin's face turned grave.
229 vs. 89.
When the ratio of doubters exceeds half, authority vanishes. Only seventy counts remained until that point was reached.
The Enforcer shouted,
"Silence! That is merely a principle of the law! The fact that we gain eternal life or are reborn according to Ra's will remains unchanged! Do not mock the faithful with heretical logic!"
Shirone countered,
"It's not the law! It's magic! If Ra's abilities are tied to magic, then these people can live longer!"
The word "magic" struck a chord. If the sacred phenomena brought about by the law were merely magic, then the divine status would inevitably fall to human standards.
A Believer shouted from the crowd,
"How can they live longer? Do you have any proof?"
Igrin sharply turned to look at them. The number of doubters had just increased by one.
Shirone explained,
"I have studied the attribute of time. To put it simply, time is relative. It applies differently to everyone here."
Among the believers, there were those who studied the mages of Noor and the opticians of Mecha.
Their numbers were likely around six. 222 vs. 96. Those who understood Shirone's words began to doubt.
Another Believer asked,
"Even if that's true, what does it matter?"
Shirone replied,
"If the ability to grant lifespan is related to time, then the lifespans of those subjected to the Day of Rebirth ritual are not precise. Even if a lifespan is set at 40 years, they cannot die exactly at that 40-year mark. The time they receive is fluid."
A Skeptic interjected,
"But that's just a hypothesis. If it's the law and not magic, then we don't even have the chance of rebirth."
Shirone insisted,
"It's not a hypothesis. I can prove it. Even if two people have 10 years taken from their lifespans, their birth times are different. So why doesn't the Day of Rebirth ritual account for that?"
206 vs. 112.
Only 47 more to go.
Igrin examined the glass orb. It was filled with a black liquid. Since the body begins to decompose at the moment of death, if someone drowned, the ritual would be considered a success.
Shirone declared,
"If they can live even a few hours—no, even a single second longer—then the 'Flower of Tales' is murder! It's nothing but drowning the subjects and desecrating their corpses!"
The Enforcer's eyes widened.
"Silence! Even if your words are true, what changes? The value of life isn't determined by time! Are you saying we should deny Ra for the sake of living one second longer?"
Shirone shot back,
"That one second is the difference between drawing the final period of one's life oneself or not! Why can't you understand that?"
Igrin saw an opportunity to turn the tide here.
243 vs. seventy-five.
As expected, the number of those returning to faith increased.
Shirone had made a foolish judgment. To humans, the right to control their own lives isn't important.
What they want is solely profit.
Gaining a little more lifespan doesn't benefit them. The believers would willingly throw themselves into the Day of Rebirth ritual, hoping for a better future.
As if to prove the scale's numbers, the believers began hurling insults at Shirone.
A Believer sneered,
"Damn it! I almost fell for it! In the end, lifespans are fixed! Nothing changes!"
Another Believer mocked,
"You, a Nephilim, go around deceiving people, and now you spout nonsense about one second? What can you even do with one second? What could you do?"